On the frequency distribution of first names

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

5 Scopus citations

Abstract

Comparison of distribution patterns of the frequency of current first names in three societies (Berlin, Israel and the United States) shows a close resemblance of all three, especially when graphically represented. This resemblance is independent of the size of the various populations. In western societies, the frequency of the most common male first name has an upper limit of about 4% of the male population. The number of "conventional" names is fewer than one thousand, regardless of the size of the population, at least in societies which are linguistically rather uniform.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)55-60
Number of pages6
JournalNames
Volume49
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - 2001

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'On the frequency distribution of first names'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this